Attitude
by Colliequest
Summary: Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child...especially if that child happens to be a certain mischievous chipmunk named Alvin. Please read & review, and thanks to those who have reviewed and have been reviewing my past stories. :


Whoo, another oneshot. Came to my mind this evening. I think it turned out rather nice. Please leave a review. :)  
Geesh, I write about mainly Alvin too much...but I can't help that I get more ideas involving him than the others.=/

DISCLAIMER: _Alvin and the Chipmunks_ and the characters Alvin, Simon, and Theodore Seville, and Mr Talbot. all belong to Bagdasarian Productions. The OCs Jeremy, Sally, and Mr. Henson, though, are mine. As well as the idea.  
The reference to _Larry-Boy: The Cartoon Adventures_ belongs to Big Idea, Inc.

-  
"Over here, Jeremy!" Alvin said as loudly as he dared, waving his hands.  
It was during school hours, and Alvin had really been wanting to try out his new baseball. He hadn't had many chances since it had been raining outside-no POURING, for days on end. He was getting antsy. So when the teacher left the classroom for a few minutes, he had seized the opportunity. Another of Alvin's friends, a bright girl named Sally, was stationed at the door, as a look-out. Many of the classmates were watching, some bemusdely, while some of the more moral students, such as Alvin's brothers Simon and Theodore, were working on their assignments.

From across the classroom, another boy tossed the ball. Alvin lifted his hand to catch the spheroid, but he missed. As he turned around, he heard the horrendous sound of glass breaking. He stared at the window, eyes wide as the rest of the class gasped. Simon muttered something under his breath and Theodore looked at his brother worriedly. "Uh-oh, Alvin..." Whispers could be heard from around the classroom.  
"Teacher's coming!" came the announcement from Sally. "And boy does he look mad."

Alvin gulped and rushed to his seat, suddenly very engrossed in his math sheet. The teacher, obviously very upset, rushed into the room, and looking around spied the shattered window near his desk. "Mr. Alvin Seville!"  
Alvin looked up. "Uh, hi there, Mr. Henson!"  
Mr. Henson got right down to business. "How did **that** happen?" he asked, pointing stiffly at the window.  
Alvin's bright blue eyes darted hither and thither as he stuttered. "Uh...it uh...got hit by an orange...leftover from, uh, lunch." He smiled nervously.  
"We haven't had lunch yet."  
Alvin grinned sheepishly. "Oh...right...I guess it from from...uh, yesterday?"  
The teacher bent forward with his hands on the front of Alvin's desk. "Tell me what really happened."  
Alvin sighed. "Well, there was this baseball, see? And it needed to be thrown. It was screaming for it, and...uh...I figured I should test it out before it disturbs us all from our, uh, very important schoolwork." Alvin smiled, obviously under pressure.  
"And what, pray tell, was a baseball doing in class?"  
Alvin looked down, and said nothing.  
"Mr. Seville, to the principal's office with you."  
Alvin banged his head against his desk a single time and left the room, looking back as he opened the door with an expression that had "martyr" written all over it.  
"Looks like Alvin will be getting another detention..." Simon said quietly, shaking his head.

During recess...  
Alvin walked onto the playground, looking glum. "Hey, Alvin." Theodore, from the swings greeted almost sympathetically. "Another detention?"  
Alvin moaned and sat on the swing next to his little brother. "Worse...Mr. Talbot said he was going to try something else this time. Since I broke a window, I have to pay for it." He motioned with his arms and hands dramatically. "And I don't have any money right now! So he says I'll have to work it off and save up my allowance. Help clean up the caffeteria every day and all that. And when Dave finds out..." the bewildered chipmunk buried his face in his hands.  
"Well, it can't be too bad..." Theodore said. "Cleaning up the caffeteria, I mean."  
Simon joined his brothers. He had heard most of what Alvin had said. "Well, you did earn it, Alvin."  
Alvin groaned again. "I know, I know...it isn't bad enough that I have to pay for a broken window and that I'll get grounded and that Dave's going to take my new ball away from me, but now my brother has to rub it in, too!"  
Simon repressed a sigh. "I didn't mean it that way...I just meant that maybe you need to take it with the right attitude. You earned it, it's done, you're going to pay for it, so...well, I guess what I'm saying it no use crying over spilt milk."  
Alvin's only response was a self-pitying groan.

Later, Alvin was in the caffeteria, mopping up the linolium floor. Most of the other kids had already left to head for home, including his brothers. He was handling the mop rather roughly. _Okay, half done..._  
"Hi, Alvin."  
The boy jumped at the voice, clearly female, though not high-pitched. As he began to turn around swiftly, he stepped on the head of his mop, slipping in the process. He crashed to the floor, landing on his chin. The mop handle hit his head as it too fell down.  
He looked up. It was Sally. She had a concerned expression on her face as she stared at him. "Are you okay?"  
"Me okay-good. Mop make Alvin go whoopsy down, bump! Booboo on head. Owie bad."  
She chuckled. "Oh, Alvin, you always crack me up." And walked away.  
Alvin, supporting himself on the palms of his hands, shook his head rapidly as if to clear his vision. "Did I just make a complete fool of myself?" he asked to no one in particular. He then got back up on his feet, bent over and grabbed the mop once again. He worked away at the floor, letting his anger out by pushing the mop around roughly.  
Simon's words from recess came back to him._ I just meant that maybe you need to take it with the right attitude. Right attitude... right attitude..._ It echoed in his mind. _Right attitude..._  
"Sheesh, I'm going to do this anyway, so what's wrong with a little anger?" he suddenly said aloud.  
Something inside him protested. He needed to let go of his anger now before it grew into something worse. He was feeling guilty.  
Alvin fought the feeling.

_Right attitude..._  
He tried to push the thought out of his mind._  
Right attitude..._  
"Shut up..." he muttered irritably as he worked at the floor. He would be done soon now, and then he could go home for the day._ And then maybe this annoying voice in my head will go away...  
Right attitude..._  
"I said...shut. Up!" he hissed._  
Right attitude...right attitude...right attitude...right attitude...right attitude..._  
"Agh! I give up! Okay, I'll have the right attitude. How's this for ya?" He began whistling a merry tune.  
The voice stayed. _Right attitude..._  
"Okay, _okay_...I get the point...outward appearances can be decieving. I've got to change from the inside-out. See, Dave, I **do** listen in church..." Alvin smiled and let himself let go of his anger. He felt much better and how the merry tune coming from his lips was sincere. He found that his work was soon finished. He surveyed the floor. "Phew! We're all done here." he said to himself, satisfied with his work.  
Just then Mr. Talbot walked by, cane in hand. He stopped upon seeing Alvin and glanced at the floor. "Nice work. Don't forget you'll need to do it again tomorrow and I'll find some more work for you to do during recesses. I've called your father about this as well."  
Alvin looked at the floor as if studying his shoes. "Yes sir," he said. His tone was, to his own surprise cautiously cheery, though there was a hint of nervousness. He found himself apologizing. "I'm...um, sorry for breaking the window..."  
The principal eyed him for a few seconds. "Glad to know you're sorry. Thank you for your good attitude, young man." He walked off.  
As Alvin turned and began to put the mop and bucket up, he couldn't help but feel good. Sure he had made a big mistake and sure Dave was going to be mad, but he felt ready to face whatever punishment his dad had set up for him now. It was a new feeling.

END STORY

So, you may notice my Larry-Boy reference here. ("Me okay-good. Mop make Alvin [originally Larry] go whoopsy down, bump! Booboo on head. Owie bad.") Actually, it was my wanting to use that line that inspired this fic, haha. Awesome line. Haha. And no I wasn't trying to imply any romance, if that's the vibe you got. First off, I don't write romance because it's not my thing, and while I do enjoy some nice innocent fluff now and again, I just don't write it. Got that? Second, Alvin and Brittany is my favorite couple, so even if I did write romance I would never make Alvin fall for anyone else...even if he does in the cartoon. I just wanted to use the awesomely awesome line. Okee-day? :)

So anywayz, please leave a review for meh. Thanks. :)


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